


Solitary

by magnoliafilms



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Bees, Gen, Hallucinations, Injections, Medication, Mental Institutions, Needles, Psychological Horror, Worms, disturbing imagery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:14:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27041077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnoliafilms/pseuds/magnoliafilms
Summary: “Are you afraid?” the voice says again, it’s gravelly, thick like it’s being forced through a meat mincer and spat out the other end of a rusted megaphone.Jaemin shifts, ignoring the burning pain that flares up his arms. There’s shadows that twist in the darkness. Snarling silence that bites back at him.“Are you afraid?” The voice whispers, quieter this time. Jaemin’s left wondering if the voice only speaks to him.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 14
Collections: Challenge #2 — tricks; treats; and terrors





	Solitary

“Are you afraid?”

It’s the first thing Jaemin hears when he opens his eyes. 

It’s dark, wherever he is. And his hands are bound behind his back. The rope tying them together is coarse and he can feel the way his skin blisters with every movement.

“Are you afraid?” the voice says again, it’s gravelly, thick like it’s being forced through a meat mincer and spat out the other end of a rusted megaphone.

Jaemin shifts, ignoring the burning pain that flares up his arms. There’s shadows that twist in the darkness. Snarling silence that bites back at him. 

“Are you afraid?” The voice whispers, quieter this time. Jaemin’s left wondering if the voice only speaks to him. 

Something’s burning. The thick scent of smoke clouds the air and Jaemin finds himself struggling to breathe, gasping for air.

But just as quickly, it’s gone. Disappearing like the voice, like the shadows.

“Who are you?” He manages, and he’s shocked by his own voice. 

It’s hoarse and raw, scraping along the insides of his throat as it battles to reach the surface. More than anything it surprises him how much it hurts to even utter those few words.

He wets his lips, finding them cracked and swollen.  _ Where even is he? _

He kicks his feet out in the darkness, only to hit something solid. His eyes are taking awhile to adjust and one seems to be partially swollen shut. 

The solid lump moves, groaning quietly. It slumps forwards, letting out a throaty gurgle as it shifts. 

“Are you afraid?” That voice says again. It’s taunting now, and Jaemin realises it has been all along. 

“Jaemin?” The lump whispers, hoarse and cracking like his own voice. “Where are we?”

Jaemin opens his mouth, struggling to say something. “Jeno?” he manages quietly, before he’s cut off again.

“Bring him out.” says the meat mincer, and all at once the words feel like they’re being spoken directly into his ear.

Jaemin struggles forward, reaching out for something to latch onto, but he’s pulled backwards. Hands grab at him. Jagged fingernails cut into his exposed arms and bruising fingers jostle him around as they lift him upwards. 

His shoulder aches, sending waves of pain up the length of his arm. Dislocated, perhaps. He doesn’t remember much, everything has disappeared into a mind numbing blur. 

He can’t see them. Can’t see anything except for Jeno’s pained expression as they pull him away. 

“Jeno,” He tries to whisper, but finds his mouth clamped shut. A disgusting hand is pressed tightly across the bottom of his face, the sensation of flaking skin against his lips makes him gag.

A door opens, somewhere behind him where he can’t see. No light falls into the dark room.

He’s in a hallway. The hands don’t cease their forcefulness as he’s shoved into a room. 

He’s pushed into a seat, and he winces as his bound arms fold painfully behind him. It is silent. The hand covering his mouth retracts and he is alone.

“Are you afraid?” 

Jaemin looks around at the darkness. A figure sits in front of him, all spines and angular shadows. 

The lights turn on, and Jaemin gasps.

The  _ thing _ in front of him is no man. Potentially nine feet tall when standing to its full height, the creature bends awkwardly to fit underneath a desk too small for it.

It’s wearing a mask, black and metallic, with holes only for its eyes and mouth. A beak like nose protrudes from the centre.

It eyes Jaemin carefully, tipping its head like a curious animal. Jaemin sits perfectly still, rigid with fear.

“Boy,” the thing says, “I asked you a question.”

The voice sounds the same as it did in the room, and when it speaks, Jaemin catches glimpses of dark rotting teeth through the gap for its mouth. 

It’s then that Jaemin realises. It is not a mask.

Along the edges are rusted staples that crudely pin the monstrosity to the creature’s face. The seams are welded and the ridges around the eye sockets seem to melt into the decaying skin underneath.

The thing lifts it’s long spindly hands and rests them on its comically small desk. Perhaps at any other time, Jaemin might have laughed. 

It stares at him, waiting for an answer.

“Yes.” Jaemin says quietly. He’s not sure what it is that he’s expected to say.

The thing narrows its eyes, and Jaemin’s throat becomes prickly, a low humming builds low in his chest. It burns, getting louder with each passing second.

“Are you afraid of me?” The thing says. It clicks its fingernails along the edge of its desk, drawing attention to the revolting condition of it’s skin. Rotting and blackened, it’s a wonder it’s skin is still intact. 

The humming continues, still getting louder. Jaemin can feel it in his teeth. Something pinches at his tongue, at the inside of his cheek.

He opens his mouth, intending to answer. But rather than words, it’s a singular bee that emerges from his throat. 

“Are you afraid of me?” The thing says again, it's meat mincer voice dropping to a sinister growl. 

Jaemin scratches at his throat and it feels as though an entire hive has burst in his stomach. There’s an internal buzzing, stinging that rises up inside him. But when he opens his mouth, nothing emerges.

“Interesting,” the thing says, and it draws its disgusting hands together, clicking its nails as it goes.

There’s something burning in his stomach. The palpable fear of this hulking monolith hangs low in his chest. His head aches under the unwavering weight of the creature’s stare.

“What do you want from me?” he whispers.

“We only want what’s best for you,  _ Jaemin _ ,” the thing says, and it’s voice warps. Twisting into something unrecognisable, something less human.

_ We. _

The word sets off alarm bells in his head. 

“Who are you?” Jaemin asks, hands clenching. 

The thing hunches over it’s desk even further, clicking it’s nails again. The sound makes Jaemin’s teeth clench. Makes his heart drop into his stomach.

“Jaemin,” the thing says, it’s warbled voice fluctuates in volume, shifting after each syllable,“We’ve noticed you haven’t been taking your medicine.”

“Medicine?” Jaemin whispers, his eyes are still fixated on the creature.

The thing ignores him, “You know better than anyone what happens if you don’t comply, Jaemin.”

There’s a hand around his arm, skin fleshy and decaying. The bindings holding his wrists are gone. His shoulder still aches. 

The thing offers him a placid smile. A paper cup is forced into his hand and in the other, two neat circular pills are dropped unceremoniously. 

“We really need you to take your medicine, Jaemin,” a voice whispers in his ear, garbled and unsettling, but unmistakably feminine, “Be a good boy.”

The pills shift in his hand. Twisting and stretching until he realises what it is that he’s holding. 

Two worms. Long and thick, oddly yellowing.

He gags, and it takes everything in him to not empty his stomach on the spot.

His eyes jump to the cup in his other hand. The fluid inside moves, dark and animated like something is swimming inside of it.

“Come on, Jaemin,” the voice says from behind him, making him jolt and spill some of the water onto his pant leg. “We would hate to have to do it for you.”

Someone takes his arm, guiding the hand that holds the worms up to his mouth. He struggles, thrashing out against those behind him. Before him, the creature laughs, watching the entire debacle with glittering black eyes. 

“I think we need some assistance,” the voice behind him says. Unwarped this time, more familiar. “He’s being difficult.”

In his panic, Jaemin had crushed his paper cup, sending the inky black fluid gushing down his arm, dripping off the end of his elbow and onto the floor. 

Something holds him against his chair, an invisible force that presses down on his chest, squashing out all the air. 

“Really, Jaemin,” The thing says condescendingly, “I thought we were making progress.”

Something stabs at his arm. A needle prick. Jaemin shifts away, trying to escape from under the impossible weight pushing down on him. 

A rotting hand strokes his hair when it’s over, “Dear, dear, Jaemin. What will we do with you?”

Everything starts to go numb. Dulling and drifting. The creature warps, shifts into impossible shapes. Always leering down at him with that disgusting mouth pulled into a grotesque smile.

His eyes begin to close. Eyelids flickering, growing heavy. He can’t sleep now. Sleeping means leaving himself vulnerable in the hands of that  _ thing. _

The ropes are back, secured around his wrists tightly. He feels like he’s falling, dropping away off the edge of consciousness. The hands are back, clinging to his arms.

As he’s pulled from the room, he feels his legs give out. His eyes shut firmly as hands carry him away, back to the dark room he came from.

💊

_ “He was doing so well, what happened?” _

_ “We found his medication stashed under his bed, Doctor. He must have been hiding it for weeks now.” _

_ “I’m not sure what else we can do for him, I can only imagine how disturbing his hallucinations are if his reactions are that bad.” _

_ “I understand, Doctor. Though, I have one question. He kept calling for someone when we brought him in. Do you know anyone named Jeno?” _

_ “Can’t say I’ve heard the name, I’m sorry.“ _

_ “No worries, Doctor. Shame though, I’d hoped it might answer some of the questions we have about him. What’s a young man with his condition doing all the way out here?” _

_ “Lord if I know. I only hope we can make his stay here as pleasant as we can.” _

_ “As do I, Doctor. As do I.” _

**Author's Note:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/thekeehorse)  
> • [cc](https://curiouscat.me/ghoulhwa)  
> 


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